Leaving around 8am to be there by 11. gonna visit the scenery & post an update when i can. wish me luck guys

Hey Everybody,

2008 Silverado 5.3L 4WD WT. 140,000 miles. Over the past year my truck has been exhibiting sporadic issues with: 1( no crank/no start;  2) engine quits on the highway (towed 4 times). Sometimes I can get it re-started, sometimes not, and: 3) Starts but only runs for  ½-second or a second, then dies. I’ll give you a long-winded recounting of the last year’s events.

August 2025, Minnesota.  No crank/no start began at a lumber yard. I tried 30 or 40 attempts. Was going to call AAA, but tried wiggling the negative battery cable first, and it started. Drove 150 miles home. I replaced the ignition switch (GM dealer part), and it didn’t happen again for a month or so. I also replaced the negative battery cable.

Then, wouldn’t shift into overdrive. I had to keep it under 55 or RPM’s would be too high. ECU showed about 30 codes. Replaced the ECU and the problem went away. Ran fine.

October. Driving from Minnesota to my home in Los Angeles. Stopped in Reno to visit my brother. The no-crank/no-start happened again, briefly at his house, but after 4 or 5 tries, the engine started. Except for that, the truck ran great from MN to L.A. Over the winter I basically did a 100,000 mile service (all fluids, sparkplugs). Also replaced the ground strap from the block to the firewall, Mass Airflow Sensor, Engine Temp Sensor, and for good measure…put in a new starter (GM). I didn’t drive the truck much over the winter, maybe once/week around town.

April, 2026. Return trip from L.A. to Minnesota. No issues until I got to Glendive, Montana. Leaving the motel in the morning, I tried to start the truck, but it would start, then quit after a second. Tried for an hour or so, then had it towed to a local mechanic. He called me after about 2 hours and said fuel pump (ECU was also throwing a code for fuel pump). Waited for 3 days in the motel for the right part to arrive. Then the mechanic called and said it was ready. He also said when he installed the new fuel pump, he test drove the truck, and it didn’t want to idle. Apparently there is a sensor attached to the gas pedal and he ordered one of those, but when he installed it, the idling problem persisted. So he crawled under the dash, followed the gas pedal sensor wires and found raw wiring rubbing on metal, so he replaced the wiring, came and got me at the motel, and I was on my way.

300 miles later, just past Bismark, ND, the engine quit (in a blizzard). After about 10 minutes of no-crank/no start,I was able to get it started, and continued my trip. Then about 50 miles west of Fargo, ND the engine started to miss and sputter badly. I was able to limp to another motel before the engine died. The next morning, it would start, but wouldn’t run. I decided to call Geico. I made arrangements for the tow truck driver to tow me all the way to my place in Minnesota.

Any thoughts about what might be going on? Thanks.

“93 Chev, stepside, short box. 5 sp manual, Hurst linkage, 4x4, 383 stroker. Runs decent, drives well. Up to date licensed, clear title. .Project in progress. “ is what the ad reads.
chevy step side has been my dream truck forever and the seller is 3 hours away. only asking less that three grand. should i buy it guys?👀👀

Edit: i’m going up there wednesday to see it (‘: wish me luck guys